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Wiese
|- | align=center colspan=2 style="background:beige;" | National Map |- | align=center colspan=2 style="background:beige;" | Motto Si vis pacem, para bellum (Latin: "If you wish for peace, prepare for war") |- | align=center colspan=2 style="background:beige;" | Imperial Anthem Die Kaiserhymne (Gott erhalte, Gott beschütze) |- | style="background:lemonchiffon;" width=100 | Capital city - Largest cities || Augsburg - Augsburg, Preßburg, Straßburg, Darmstadt, Erfurt, Karlsruhe |- | style="background:lemonchiffon;" | Population - Total ||2009 estimate 97,748,047 |- | style="background:lemonchiffon;" | Official Language || German |- | style="background:lemonchiffon;" | Ethnic groups || Germans 90%, Jews 5%, Wends 3%, Wieser Oikawans 1%, other 1% |- | style="background:lemonchiffon;" | Government Type || Federal constitutional monarchy |- | style="background:lemonchiffon;" | Emperor || Friedrich Wilhelm II |- | style="background:lemonchiffon;" | Chancellor || Otto Graf von Baden |- | style="background:lemonchiffon;" | GDP (PPP) - Total - Per Capita ||2008 estimate - €2,932 trillion - €30.000,00 |- | style="background:lemonchiffon;" | Establishment - Duchy of Swabia - Empire declared - Franken secedes - Peace of Augsburg - Peace of Hornburg - Treaty of Elbebrück|| - 632 - 930 - 1568 - 1644 - 1674 - 1848 |- | style="background:lemonchiffon;" | National Animal || Imperial Eagle, Lion |- | style="background:lemonchiffon;" | Currency - 1644 - 1754 - 1754 - 1892 - 1892 - present|| - Thaler - Gulden - Reichsmark (RM) |- | style="background:lemonchiffon;" | ISO Currency Code || WRM |- | style="background:lemonchiffon;" | ISO Nation Codes || WS, WSE |- | style="background:lemonchiffon;" | Internet TLD || .ws |} Wiese (German Wieserreich), formally Empire of Wiese (German Kaisertum Wieserreich), is a semi-totalitarian federal constitutional monarchy functioning within generally democratic time frames. It is the immediate successor of the old Holy Germanic Empire. The country is neighbouring the nations of Wendmark to the west, Danmark and Oltremare to the south, Greater Sarmatia and Životinje to the east, Ascheburg and Franken to the north-west, and Kryobaijan to the north. It is a landlocked country notable for its military policies and laws. Its capital and largest city is Augsburg. Wiese is an economic powerhouse with a per capita income of €30.000,00, and an industrial power. Its economy is mainly in the form of services (62.7%), followed by industry (34.2%) and agriculture (3.1%). The small, highly mechanised agricultural sector is able to largely cover the country's consumption needs, and make it self-sufficient in basic necessities despite its small proportion in the economy and involved workforce. Natural wealth includes wood, large reserves of coal, natural gas, iron ore and uranium, and small reserves of petroleum, silver, gold, and diamonds. As Wiese needs to import petroleum, it tends to use synthetic fuel from its abundant natural gas and coal reserves, though petroleum-related fuel is not unheard of. Etymology of the name The country's name Wieserreich comes from the geographic region of the same name it occupies, a great plain starting from the Gap of the Elbe in the West and going east to meet the Sarmatian Plain. In English, the country's name is shortened to as Wiese, which is German for "meadow". Historically, the plain was, and sometimes still is, referred to as das Wieserreich, meaning "Realm of Meadows" in German. During the War of the Roses in 1643 and the subsequent collapse of the Holy Germanic Empire, Queen Isabella I of Swabia was crowned Kaiserin in Wieserreich ("Empress in Wiese") and, after 1644, the full title of the Holy Germanic Emperor (Heiliges Germanisches Kaiser) was specially-tailored Wieser Emperor (Wieserreichisches Kaiser) since Isabella was a woman, and no woman could theoretically be crowned Holy Emperor. Since then, partly due to her long reign, the adapted title stuck. During its years, the Holy Germanic Empire never had a name adopted officially by the Reichstag or by Imperial decree, and the Emperor was always referred to simply as Kaiser. As such, after the Old Empire collapsed in 1644, the new, reduced Empire inherited all Imperial institutions, insignia, names, symbols and objects of authority. Wiese was still referred to as das Reich with der Kaiser at its helm, a popular habit persisting today. The term Wieserreich was, by the 18th Century, accepted by the masses in the country (previously thought to be diminishing) and by the end of the 18th Century the unofficial term Kaisertum Wieserreich began being used in official documents in place of IMPERIVM GERMANICVM SACRVM and HEILIGES GERMANISCHES REICH. Today, the situation remains unresolved, as Wiese has never adopted Kaisertum Wieserreich as its de jure official name, instead using it as official de facto. In fact, the term Heiliges Germanisches Reich is still used in official documents relating to the Council of the Prince-Electors and the Reichstag. In addition, the continued use of old Imperial symbols, spanning from terms, names, coats of arms, flags to even the Imperial Crown and other symbols of power, makes Wiese a direct continuation and the next incarnation of the Holy Germanic Empire. Geography Geographically, the country is mainly flat or hilly, with its southern frontiers largely covered by tall mountain ranges, whereas the central, flatter parts are divided in many regions by a number of rivers that play an important role in the national economy and trade. The northern part of the country is highly hilly to mountainous instead. Wiese is not prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, although floods can be a problem during harsh autumns and springs and especially in the less protected, rural areas. Other disasters that could pose a problem include blizzards and landslides in the southern mountains, The geography of Wiese is largely homogeneous, with the majority of the country consisting of meadows (from where the country got its name) and hills. The southern border however, falling under the Archduchy of Saxony, Braunschweig and Mecklenburg, is riddled with the Wieser Alps mountain range. In the north, the Iron Hills form up Schaumburg. Wiese's natural resources include timber, coal, natural gas, iron ore, uranium, silver, gold, diamonds, and other resources. Administrative Divisions Administratively, historically and geographically, Wiese is divided in six different Imperial estates as per its traditional divisions and before the centralisation of power in Wiese, finalised in its current territorial form in 1782. These are Braunschweig, Saxony, Mecklenburg, Thuringia, Schaumburg and Swabia. Of them, all but Saxony were the old Wiese elector-principalities, with their rulers vested with the power to elect a new emperor after one's death. Today Swabia and Saxony are in personal union since 1809, with the remaining four estates retaining their own independent dynasties, governments and parliaments. As Wiese is a federation, each of the imperial estates (or imperial states) vests significant autonomy. Each one has its own Landtag (diet or parliament), government (led by a First Minister) and budget. Its subdivisions are its own responsibility, but the Emperor (not the Imperial government) also has significant influence as far as they are concerned. Province-level division for the Imperial Estates themselves includes herrschaften (non-free "baronies", with the elected official being termed a Herr or Lord); counties, with the elected official being termed Grafschaftmeister or County-Master; free cities and free imperial cities, with the elected official being the Burgmeister or City-Master; and other such terminology previously in use during the country's medieval and early modern era. Today however, these divisions function as proper provinces despite their peculiarity in terms of terminology and tradition. The country's capital and largest city is Augsburg, which also serves as the administrative centre of Swabia, and other large cities include Preßburg in Saxony, followed by Straßburg in Schaumburg. Many of the old Free and Imperial Cities of the Empire have evolved to become some of its major centres of economic activity. Society and Organisation Following centuries of cultural militarism and military-centric traditions, Wiese's society has come to resemble a military machine in more than one aspects. Things are orderly, detailed, and geared up to work in specific roles; from the moment one is born to the moment one dies, he spends his entire life in a semblance of a perfectly organised, evolving state that is determined to seed him with loyalty, efficiency and determination. The population of almost 98 million is highly "patriotic" ("nationalist in a statist sense" would perhaps be a better term). Wiese follows the principles of stratocracy, and more particularly of Goldstein-Engelism, though its existence as a stratocracy is often disputed, particularly by Kyiv, because of its socio-political peculiarities and existence of civilian politics. The strong influence of the country's feudal past still has its mark in modern society, with the old nobility as well as financially privileged having evolved into the financial elite of the country, and an enlarged noble class. Role of the sexes in Wiese Because of its strongly practical, militarily utilitarian mindset, the division between the sexes is relatively secondary in Wiese, and for the most part, women have the same job opportunities as men, with each sex having an advantage where Wiese's scientists believe the sex excels. This means that women have an easier time being employed in organisational roles, which includes military tacticians, secretaries, medics, and the like; on the other hand, men have an easier time with more manual and logical labour, including combat troopers, manual labour, engineers, technicians and the like. Role of the Catholic Church An important distinction from other states is that Wiese has small state involvement in public welfare spending; instead, the Catholic Church and the Knightly Order of the Silverless Saints undertake the expenditure and maintenance welfare spending, as do several private citizens. Both the Order of the Silverless Saints and the Catholic Church are treated as charity organisations and are tax-exempt as a result, though they are monitored to ensure high quality of services are maintained. Social conservatism The side-effect of the educational, ethnological, religious and bureaucratic organisation of the country is that Wiese is quite conservative in many respects. It will not usually enjoy significant economic growth or sudden changes in traditions and society: homosexuality, for instance, was legalised only in 1991 and the first homosexual union was only permitted in 2001, whereas the country tends to enjoy the quickest growth in economy during periods of rebuilding or massive modernisations, such as after a large war or when gearing up for one. Arms exports and the construction sector often play a vital role in such growth. Change is generally not welcome, and foreigners, although welcome, are viewed with suspicion. Role of the social classes All in all, the society largely operates under the principle "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" with each social class expected to provide and receive depending on its abilities and needs. The various social classes include the upper class or nobility and royalty, the middle classes such as scientists and merchants, and the lower classes such as labourers and farmers) are not that defined by income, but more by traditional roles: you can find lower class individuals with better incomes than from the middle class, or upper class individuals that have the living standards of a manual labourer. And these social classes have highly expected roles to fulfil, although this isn't absolute: those with money are expected and encouraged to use them to the benefit of society (and thus the state), although they are given the freedom to do expand their income and thus assist the society and state even more (so long as they don't hurt the society and the state, obviously.) Nationalities and religions 90 percent of Wiese's population is ethnic German, drawing from mainly Swabian (50 percent), Saxon (28 percent) and Franconian (10 percent) roots, with a further 2 percent descending from other Germanic tribes like Thuringians. The remaining 10 percent of the population includes Jews nation-wide (5 percent), Wends in Thuringia, Schaumburg and Saxony (3 percent), Wieser Oikawans in Swabia (under 1 percent) and others (about 1 percent). The main religions of the country include Catholic Christianity (including Wiese rites), which masses 90 percent of the population, followed by Protestant (3 percent) and Eastern Orthodox Christianity (2 percent.) A further 5 percent adheres to other religions, principally Judaism. Although ethnic divisions are of secondary importance in the country, religious divisions still play a big role, and non-Catholics, especially Protestants, are often viewed with suspicion and face discrimination. Education Education is a key object in Wiese and receives major government attention, especially since it prepares the citizen of tomorrow to become what the system wants him to become. There are three important principles that are taught to children from a very early age - loyalty to the Empire, unyielding honour and boundless courage. Using education, the government of Wiese manages to keep control of the country and raise a disciplined populace that honours the traditions of the Empire and is very loyal and approving to the Emperor no matter their political ideologies. The school system also provides tactical and basic military training to youths. The object of education is to raise somebody loyal and potent for the system, to be content and capable, reply to demand with supply partly engineered by the system and partly provided by the individual, motivate the citizen, etc. It also means that schooling is provided for free to Wieser subjects, from pre-schooling to university-level, although not everyone is given the opportunity to attend the latter: only the best of the best. Literacy averages at 99,8 percent of the population. Other chief sectors operating on similar principles include healthcare, since healthy citizens means healthy soldiers in time of need. The education is, like the healthcare system and a significant part of the economy, distributist in nature. Bureaucracy Bureaucracy is an inevitable part of such a society, but it's not over-burdening, and is often kept at Spartan levels of efficiency. People end up organised in "unions" or "syndicates" depending on their employment and skills; different ones exist for the various technicians, soldiers, teachers, labourers, engineers and whatever, much like different branches exist in the armed forces. These "branches" are further subdivided into categories: for example, the technicians branch includes computer technicians, electronic technicians, and so on. Just like with a well-structured military, however, personal initiative of those in power and given individuals is highly respected and promoted if used healthily. Economy Wiese enjoys high standards of living, with an average per capita income of €30.000 (July 2009 est.), although this does not reflect the income gap between upper and lower classes. Financially speaking, its society is not divided differently from a moderately capitalist state's, with an upper, a middle and a lower class not corresponding to the similar-named social classes that exist. The country's currency is the Reichsmark, which is subdivided in 100 Pfennig each. The Reichsmark is fixed at an exchange rate of RM 3,5041 = €1. The government prefers to trade in foreign currency with international partners whenever possible, preventing an outflow of monetary reserves. Companies and individuals are encouraged to do the same. Government statistics estimate about 5 percent of the population lives below the line of poverty. Wiese's primary exports come from the industry sectors and include cars, aircraft, river boats, machinery, construction materials, armaments, tools, and others. The country also exports canned or otherwise packed food products, to a degree, as well as its chief raw materials that include coal, natural gas, uranium and iron ore, as well as their by-products (such as steel.) On a domestic level, the country might sometimes remind of a non-capitalist state due to tight controls when it comes to the private (non-business) use and ownership of cars, as well as tight environmental laws. Officially, Wiese follows a somewhat distributist economic model, although this has been disputed. Trade with abroad is largely vital for Wiese, and although a level of self-sufficiency is enjoyed in "strategic resources" (such as those used for arms manufacturing, as well as key foodstuffs) the country is dependent on trade partners to continue enjoying high standards of living. Trade partners of choice almost always include neighbouring states, with the government citing practicality concerns; however, investment into the private sector of the economy (which accounts for about 60 percent of the GDP) is encouraged and easy to occur, though foreigners are expected to respect Wiese's peculiar economic and societal nature, as well as restrictions on the outflow of capital, strategic and security technologies and labour both skilled and unskilled. Notable Wiese corporations include the Imperial investment group KIW, VRL, MAN AG, Thießen AG and Krauss-Maffei. Wiese is also home to subsidiaries of various major European companies. Local corporations are most often in the hands of local nobility and royalty in the form of family holding companies; the most prominent are the KIW Investment Group and Thießen AG of the House of Thießen, the Gieße Holdings Company of the House of Gieße, the Hersbach Investments & Holdings Corporation of the House of Hersbach, and the United Wieser Investment Company of the House of Wolfsburg and the House of Weilburg. Such companies allow the national and local governments a great degree of financial power, since they always have both de facto and de jure close ties with the Imperial Government and the governments of the Imperial States. Government Wiese is an institutionally totalitarian, elective federal constitutional monarchy functioning within generally democratic but controlled frames. Although each Emperor is elected by a council of Prince-Electors, the monarchy is effectively hereditary for many centuries, although primogeniture has not always been applied. The system allows the bypassing of undesirable heirs, and the assurance that emperors will often be as potent as possible. The country's power-base is divided among executive (Emperor and the Imperial Cabinet or Government), legislative (Emperor, the Reichstag and the Reichsrat) and judicial (Emperor, and the Imperial Supreme Court) authorities, with the Emperor being by far the most important and powerful of them all, and possessing virtually unlimited powers should he or she desire so. In practice, however, the country functions like a moderate constitutional monarchy, with the Emperor's unlimited powers used rarely, if ever. Although officially proclaimed a stratocracy, not everyone active in Wieser politics, whether in legislation, executive or justice, is possessing a military career or background. However, due to practical stratocracy having been adopted by the country during the 1850s until the 1890s, most ministerial positions, and other positions of such importance, are given to politicians closely associated with the armed forces. The Reichswehr, Landsturm and Volkswehr effectively have precedence over other departments in the government budgets. The Emperor The Emperor is a position of great prestige and power, and he is the head of state of the country with supreme executive, legislative and judicial powers in his roster. The Emperor is elected by the Kurfürstenrat, which is presided by the Emperor in his own lifetime or the Archbishop of Augsburg in the absence of an Emperor. Succession has been virtually of hereditary nature for several centuries now, with only five Royal Houses having been elected to the position of the Wieser Emperor or the previous Holy Germanic Emperor since the latter's inception in 930 AD. Powers The powers of the Emperor are theoretically unlimited. However, a carefully self-imposed system of counter-weights has led to the position "lending" much of its authority to inferior bodies (government, legislature and the courts) to promote democratic governance within the country. Even so, institutions and laws permit the Emperor to overturn the table any time he or she would like. The current Emperor is Friedrich Wilhelm II. The existence of unwritten laws and customs that are observed allow for the smooth function of the system. Requirements to be elected Candidates in Imperial elections need to adhere to the two following basic conditions: * They must belong to an Imperial or Royal House from one of the constituent states of Wiese. * They must be baptised Dominican Catholic. Holy Germanic Emperors shared the above requirements, as does the rank of King of Wiese, but candidates for the former also had to be of the male gender. This clause was originally revoked in 1644 with the victory of Isabella I of Swabia in the War of the Roses. As such, between 1644 and 1809, females could get elected to the position of the Emperor, although there are only three cases of a female Emperor that have ever reigned. In 1810, Franz Joseph I of Saxony abolished the clause allowing female Emperors. It was re-established under Friedrich Wilhelm II in 1984, amidst fears of a succession crisis. The Electoral Council The Kurfürstenrat is a five-member council that elects an emperor upon an emperor's death, or, more usually, appoints the emperor's successor sometime during an emperor's reign. It consists of the King of Swabia, the Duke of Mecklenburg, the Duke of Schaumburg, the Duke of Braunschweig and the Duke of Thüringen. Since the 19th century, the throne is controlled by the Saxon dynasty of Thießen. The Kurfürsten (Prince-electors) convene only when summoned by an Emperor, or, at the event of an emperor's death, when summoned by the Archbishop of Augsburg. They have been traditionally meeting in the St. Adrian Cathedral in Augsburg since the 11th Century AD. Other than electing emperors and imperial heirs, the Kurfürsten have no other political power in Wiese, but may have power within the states they represent depending on their constitutions. The last council of the Kurfürstenrat was held in 1941, electing Archduke Karl of Wiese, first child of Emperor Friedrich Wilhelm, King of Wiese (which is equivalent to a Crown Prince.) The status of a Prince-Elector is signified by the holding of a Princely County, often the ancestral lands of a certain Dynasty or House. Powers The sole actual power and responsibility of the Council of the Prince-Electors is to elect an Emperor in the absence of one, or a King of Wiese in the lifetime of an Emperor as his appointed successor. As such, the Council convenes very rarely for the purpose of its actual authorities, the last one being held in 1941 when Archduke Karl of Saxony was elected King of Wiese and his father's heir-apparent. However the Council also has consultative role for the Emperor, and it is not uncommon for "unofficial" meetings to be held at irregular intervals and outside public reach for the Emperor and the Prince-Electors to discuss matters of common interest. Composition The institution was fully secularised in 1782 under the reign of Isabella II, with the two ecclesiastic votes passing to the dukes of the regions the Archbishops were in. The composition still persists today. This brought the following composition for the Prince-Electors: *The King of Swabia *The Duke of Braunschweig *The Duke of Mecklenburg *The Duke of Schaumburg *The Duke of Thuringia Imperial Cabinet of Ministers The Imperial Cabinet of Ministers or Imperial Government forms the Government of Wiese. It consists of several ministries, the most notable of which being the Ministry for War, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ministry for Interior Affairs, Ministry of Finance and Ministry for the Treasury. It is led by a Reichskanzler or Imperial Chancellor, the Wieser equivalent to a Prime Minister, who is appointed at the behest of the Emperor. The Chancellor is also responsible to be the spokesman for the Imperial Household. Practice under the reigning Friedrich Wilhelm II has had it that the Chancellor is almost always the leader of the political party with most votes after a Reichsrat election, although government collapses can cause the formation of minority governments at times. Despite the nominally absolute powers of the Emperor, the Imperial Cabinet possesses much power of its own, and has been permitted to grow as a counterweight to other power centres of the Empire like the Reichsrat, the Reichstag and the Reichswehr. Many government ministers are always possessing an active or retired military rank and noble status, and these are often de facto requirements for politicians to lead one of the major political parties, typically KVP and CSU. Parliament Reichsrat The Reichsrat or Imperial Council is the lower body of the Wieser parliament. It includes 516 representatives from the six constituent states of the country, as follows: * Swabia 144 MPs - 27,21% * Saxony 139 MPs - 26,94% * Braunschweig 104 MPs - 20,16% * Schaumburg 54 MPs - 10,47% * Thuringia 40 MPs - 7,75% * Mecklenburg 35 MPs - 6,78% These representatives are elected by popular vote. The Reichsrat is often controlled by Saxony and Swabia, who, together, control almost 55 percent of the seats and have traditionally aligned interests, but this is not absolute, and alliances between states are common and varying. The Reichsrat is the strongest legislative body after the Emperor himself, though it often needs to reach a consensus with the upper house, the Reichstag, and many crucial powers, including those that give it its significant legislative authority, stem from the Reichstag as well. Reichstag The Reichstag or Imperial Diet is the upper house of the Wieser parliament. It is chaired by the President of the Reichstag, who is always the Emperor. The body currently consists of 291 members and 303 seats, traditionally high nobility and Catholic bishops and archbishops from various places across Wiese. It effectively vests significantly more power than the Reichsrat, as it has to approve all legislation passed by the Reichsrat before it can become effective; in addition, the Reichstag can introduce special legislation of its own, and function as a court for nobility. Its powers are not absolute, however, as it is subject to Imperial veto and its decisions can be blocked by the Reichsrat. The Reichstag traditionally 'lends' a significant portion of that power to the Reichsrat after every new election, typically that for many forms of special legislation, giving the country a semblance of parliamentary democracy at times. It serves as a form of control of the Reichsrat, which is fully elected, and they must reach a consensus for many vital matters to happen. When this fails, the Emperor will often threaten using his executive and legislative power to intimidate the Reichstag or the Reichsrat to agree to the other's demands, but this is very rare in the recent years and only took place ten times during the 20th Century. Imperial Supreme Court Work in progress. Democracy in Wiese Although it is a very militaristic culture with strongly totalitarian laws, Wiese functions as a de facto democracy by tradition, and has strong democratic traditions despite the nominal lack of legislative space, such as with the Emperor still wielding massive amounts of power even though he does not commonly use it. Wiese is mainly governed through its legislature and the Imperial Cabinet. The seeds of modern Wieser democracy were planted during the Revolutions of 1848. The Imperial Cabinet is named by the Imperial Chancellor, who is put in place by the Emperor. Although the Emperor has the power to place anyone he likes, even if he is not a member of the Reichsrat or the Reichstag, practice in the past decades means the Imperial Chancellor is almost always the leader of the most voted party at a given election. The legislature, and thus governments, have five-year terms, though heads of government can often change more commonly or rarely than that. Political Parties Wiese does not have an over-abundance of political parties, with many extreme right or left parties having previously been banned. Since the 1890's, the politics of the country have been dominated by the pro-system, centrist Imperial People's Party (KVP) and the Catholic, conservative Christian Social Union (CSU). The German National Front, founded in 1909 by minor nationalist parties, makes up the pan-Germanist, nationalist wing of the political spectrum. Since the 1970's, the legalised Communist Party of Wiese has been politically exploited to provide a far-left addition to the spectrum. Besides the main parties, several minor, cadet parties also exist in smaller scale, and many independent candidates get elected in the parliament, which gives the country a great variety of voices. The following parties exist in Wiese at this time: * Imperial People's Party (Kaiserliche Volkspartei, KVP): Centrist. Controls 35% of the Reichsrat. * Christian Social Union (Christlich-Soziale Union, CSU): Centre-right. Controls 30% of the Reichsrat. * German National Front (Deutsches Nationalfront, DNF): Far right. Controls 15% of the Reichsrat. * Communist Party (Kommunistische Partei, KPW): Far left. Controls 10% of the Reichsrat. * Independents: 10% of the Reichsrat. The current government is led by the KVP with CDU coalition partners. Defence The Military of Wiese, locally known as the Reichswehr ("Imperial Defence Forces"), follows a strong military tradition and forms an integral part of the society and economy of the country. It is subdivided in two combat and two support branches: the Kaiserliches Heer (Imperial Army), the Kaiserliche Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial Air Force), the Landwehr (paramilitary) and the Landsturm (reserves). Its total personnel in January 2009 was about 500.000 military and 340.000 Landwehr personnel, with a further 8.4 million Landsturm reservists. Civil Defence As a militaristic and strongly independent country, Wiese has developed a very large Civil Defence organisation named the Volkswehr, manned through the Landsturm and compulsory service for all citizens. The country is known for an expansive bunker network which includes public and private bomb, fallout and other shelters throughout the country for various purposes, including but not being limited to war and natural disasters. Until recently, the Civil Defence also operated a long-range, over-the-horizon radar network dubbed a "Ballistic Missile Defence Network" despite its non-interception capabilities; it was recently transferred to the direct jurisdiction of the Imperial Air Force. The Civil Defence also operates the fixed defences along the Wieser borders; these are manned always by Landsturm or Landwehr personnel during peace-time. The extent of Wieser civil defence organisation is such that the country's construction industry has few parallels in its applications outside Wiese itself. The extensive network of bunkers, fortifications, outposts and reinforced shelters is such that it provides the country's economy constant and vital activity and jobs, with year-round maintenance and expansion taking place. It is stated that this extensive network can hold some 80% of the country's population, while the frontier fortifications cover virtually every Wieser border from the lightly defended frontier with Franken, Ascheburg and Wendmark to the heavy fortifications in Braunschweig, the Alpine Line and the Rheinburg Line in Wieser Alps along the southern border, and the Grenzenburg Line on the Germanian-Sarmatian border. History Throughout its history, Wiese has developed a strongly independent and militaristic culture, with traits of it persisting to this day. Originally the core of Germania, the country was originally home to various Germanic tribes including the Goths, Saxons, Thuringians (Thuringii) and Swabians (Suebi). With the collapse of the Tiburan Empire and the migrations that followed, Wiese was shaped into a cluster of duchies which evolved into the Holy Germanic Empire by the 10th Century. During the Middle Ages, the borders between the various Germanic tribes were stabilised, with Swabians emerging victorious from the in-tribal fights among the Germanic peoples of the region. Having repulsed the Saxons and the Goths to the south-west and the south respectively, and soon defeating the Thuringians in their east, the warlike Swabians emerged as the principal power in central Germania for centuries to come. In the 7th Century they founded the first medieval German state, the Duchy of Swabia, which became a Kingdom in 930 with the foundation of the Holy Germanic Empire. The Empire that was formed in the 10th Century remained an important power, and almost became a pan-German state at certain periods, until the 16th Century, when it declined during the Reformation Wars. By the 13th Century the main political entities that would later form the modern-day Imperial States of Wiese, as well as the precursors of other major German countries, had emerged. Franconia, Swabia, Trier, Saxony, Mecklenburg, Wendmark and Braunschweig all existed with various forms and varying importance through a complex system of feudal ties, with the Holy Germanic Emperor at the very top, vesting most sovereign power. This feudal mosaic would later evolve into modern-day Wiese, Eiffelland, Franken, the West Germanic Federation and Wendmark. Sundered apart by the Reformation Wars between 1540 and 1568, the ailing Empire descended into the path of decline and decentralisation after the loss of some of its richest and most politically important parts to Protestantism. The Catholic Empire eventually got involved in the War of the Roses (1642-1644), during which the might of the powerful Prince-Electors clashed with the charisma and temperament of Isabella of Swabia, Queen and Princess-Elector of Swabia. Victorious in the war, Isabella became the first Wieser Empress and female sovereign in Germania in 1644, and proceeded to set the foundations of the modern Empire through her centralisation reforms. For the first time under Isabella I did the Empire have a single military force, a single currency and single authority able to engage into alliances and foreign affairs. In the subsequent war with Franken in 1666, Isabella vanquished the last foreign influence in the country by terminating Franken's personal union with Schaumburg. The following centuries, Wiese developed a distinctively militaristic culture, directly rooted in its 17th Century adventures under the reign of Isabella I. In what was a relatively quiet 18th Century, the Empire further centralised, secularised the last Prince-Bishoprics of the land, and conducted military reforms that in the next 200 years would gradually give rise to the modern-day Reichswehr, Landwehr and Landsturm. At the eve of the 19th Century, with Wiese's reigning monarch Isabella II murdered in 1801, the Empire faced a short-lived political crisis that opened it up to foreign invasion during the Napoleonic Wars. By 1809, the long-living House of Thießen lost its main line, taking over a year to resolve the dynastic and election disputes that arose. Later in the century, the Xhengese warlord Lan Yu reached the gates of the Empire, with significant battles taking place in Imperial territory. Authoritarianism during the 1800s gave rise to the Revolutions of 1848, during which liberal, Protestant and reactionary elements within the Empire took up arms against the Imperial authorities. Although eventually crushed, the revolutions led to the independence of Wendmark in 1858, as well as gradual reform over a whole century that would give ground to the modern-day Empire. Under the pressure of reformist elements, the Empire grew and evolved into a modern industrialised country. During the 20th Century the Empire spent a long period focused on its internal matters, gradually dismantling the totalitarian system that arose following the popular fear of socialist and communist revolution in the period 1905-1925. Under Friedrich Wilhelm II the Imperial institutions de facto adopted democratic procedures, and in 1963 the Communist Party was made legal for the first time in its history. In the 1990s and 2000s the Empire experienced significant economic growth, partly fuelled by new arms contracts for friendly nearby regimes such as for Franken or Eiffelland, delivering a lot of Wiese-manufactured arms and armaments to foreign military forces and expanding the arms manufacturing industry that had already taken to the skies of the international market during the 1970s and 1980s. See Also *KIW Investment Group *Military of Wiese *Line of succession to the Wieser throne Category:Nations